Refrigerating apparatus



oct'. 19, 1943.

E. F. scHwEpLER REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 15, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

.52AM/vn 5cl/wuz. ze.

Patented Oct. 19, 1943 REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Edmund F. Schweller, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Dayton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Appiieaiioniivember l5, i941, serial No. 419,342

einen,

S Claims.

This invention relates to shipping crates for refrigerators.

In recent years, household refrigerator cabinets have been provided with outer metal panels or shells having highly finished surfaces that must be protected during shipment of the cabinets from the manufacturer to the dealer or retailer. For example, the metal cabinet outer walls or shells usually have aporcelain enamel coating or surface which is brittle and must be protected from becoming chipped or damaged upon striking other objects during shipping of the cabinets. I am aware of the fact that these cabinets have heretofore each been packed in an in the cabinets, smaller.

inets in a single crate.

frigerator cabinets.

individual shipping crate for shipment from the Fis. 1 is a Side View 0f a Shipping Crate Strucfactory. This individual packing or @rating has ture Showing two refrieeratorcabnets locked been necessitated by the weight of the refrig- Ogethel therein by means COIISIUCSc1 in 3C- erator being so great that ordinarily only one COldalCe With my invention; y refrigerator cabinet could be handled and moved Fg- 2 S an end View 0f the Structure Shown by two men. Thus, it has been a rather eX- in Fg- 1; pensive proposition to the manufacture to pro- Fg- 3 S a 130D View Of the StfuCufe Shown vide for individual crating of refrigerator cabiIlFig. 12 inets due to the number of crate parts required to Fg 4 is a' bottom VQW 0f the stru-@ture Shown be stocked for various sizes of cabinets and due in Fg- 1,? to the large inventory Such parts create- More Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the structure taken recently, however, the weight of medium size on the lifle 5 5 of Fig' 1 and .show mg the means household refrigerator cabinets has been greatly for' lockmg the rfefngemtor Cabinets together reduced by the elimination of heavy framesetc., m the emite? from the cabinets and by minimizing and mak- 30 Ftg' 6 1S a.' fragmentary Sctlonal VeW of the ing parts of the refrigerating system, mounted abnlf klfg means and 1S taken on the 1m@ By this method, the f l present day-so-called medium size household re- ,Flg't 'L lr at? lage? faengmg stou. frigerator weighs only about half as much as the Vew a e o o t" -s QW -a e refrigerator cabinet locking means in detail, same size refrigerator weighed a few years ago.

. 3o Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectionalY Therefore, two men could now very readily hanle and move two f th L d h h 1d vlew taken onthe line --i of Fig. 5 showing 0 efse cime onse O re* the cabinets bolted to their supporting bases; frigerators at the same time if some means were and y prollddtlor ngldy Secujrmg th? Crates together Fig. 9 isa perspectiveview of the two refrigso a 1112151; coul be tilted, raised andcarted 40v erator cabinets disposed in back-to-back relaaiwajy Slm aneously Wlth (me another by an tionship and showing parts` of the crate thereordinary lift truclLrIn order to render hanfor lying on the goor adjacent the Cabinets dling and moving ci two refrigerator cabinets preparatory to beingrassembled togethen feasible, I contemplate the shippmg of two cab- Referring to the drawings, fm illustrating the present invention, I have shown in Figs. 1 to 4 An ObJeCt 0f my mventlo 1S t0 P YOV'lde an two refrigerator cabinets, lil and ll, disposed improved method of and crae for shipping re- Within a, Single shipping crate generally repre- Another bj t f t. t Y .d sented by tllicae reference character l2# The Shigo eC o my lIlVen 1011 1S 0 prOVl e ping crate comprises a top wall end wa s a crate for shipping two refrigerators as a uni- 5o 13 and l5, side Walls l5 and il, .and a bottom tary structure therein to thereby reduce the manufacturers inventory to a minimum.

A furtherobject of my invention is to provide means whereby two refrigerator cabinets can be locked against movement relative to one another (ci. 2li- 43) within a single shipping crate and against move'- ment relative to the crate.

In carrying out the foregoing objects, it is a still further and more specific object of my invention to crate refrigerator cabinets for shipment in such a manner that the refrigerators will conserve storage space in a warehouse andspace in a railway car during shipping thereof.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had tothe accom'- panying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

wall formed by two base members l and I9. Each wall of the crate is formed of a plurality of wood pieces or slats nailed together, and all walls of the crate are also nailed to one anothergto form a rigid rectangular shaped shipping container. Each member I8 and I9 includes a heavy wood piece 2| having their ends overlapped and nailed to one another to form sides of a base for supporting a refrigerator cabinet thereon. The base members i8 and I9 are placed under the cabinet I or at the time the skeleton cabinet is started down the production assembly line or track. Each cabinet I0 and II includes metal gusset plates 22 secured to the leg or lower metal apron 24 at the corner thereof (see Fig. 8), and suitable bolts 25 passing through these gusset plates, washers and through the wood pieces 2| rigidly clamp the cabinets I0 and I I to the base members |8 and I9 respectively. As the cabinets l0 and |I, fully assembled with a'closedV refrigerating system mounted therein, come oir the production track, casters 26 (see Fig. 9) are placed in suitable holes provided. in the wood pieces 2| at each corner of the base members I8 and I8. These casters 2B serve to facilitate handling and movingV around of the cabinets'for crating purposes, priorv to shipment` or. storage thereof. Eachcabinet I0 and includes a pair of horizontally spaced apart sheet metal boss rnernbers28` having a flanged portionZS-Welded or otherwise rigidly secured to the metal. cabinet back wall.3|. These boss members each have a slot 32 c ut therein for apurposeto behereinafter described. As theA cabinets I andf leaveV the production track, mounted on or: secured to the base. members I8 and, |8 respectively, the casters 2liv are placed under the. base members and the cabinets are-moved. or rolled into back to-back relationship with one another with the basermembers abutting` eachother. Endportions of wood. pieces. 2|. of the. base. members I8 and |9,.whichfabut against. one another` when the cabinets are moved into back-to,-back` relationship, as. shownl in Fig. 8. of the` drawings, are

provided with registering horizontally disposed bores 21. The bores.;.2-'I .form aligned registering openings for receiving a metal or wood peg 3U which serves as a.dowel.pin.to rigidly secure the base members against vertical movementrelative toone another. Dowel pins 38 maybe placed in thefboresor openings .21 of one base member. and the portion thereof. projecting outwardly. from the one base member may be movedpr slid into thebores or. openings. 2.1 of Vthe ,other` base memberl at the.time. the members. I 8` and. I 9 are moved into abutting relation with one another. Since the. base members. |8,.and I9 are secured against horizontalDd-Vertical movement relative to .one anotheraftercther crateparts are assembled togetherby. othenmeans .as will bel hereinafter moreiully described, theuse oi?.4 the dowel pins` 3|!may not be necessary and for` this reason -they may, if desired, be omitted. The boss membersv 280n the` baclswallof cabinets. I!! Aand regissuitable openings 36 providedin a wood bar element 31 are brought. into association with the. oppositely disposed boss members- 2B. Each stud 35 has a neel:` portion 4 I and aheadportion 42 at each end thereof. Upon inserting the b ar ZIintermediatethe backs oi cabinets wand II, thenecl; portion 4I ,of studs v35, carried by. bar 3], may be ttedinto the slots 22,01 boss members. 28 with Vthe head portions 42 of studsV 35 disposed inthe socketpart of the members 28. Bar element 3l holds the studs 3.5 in place and prOVdGSa rigid means extending outwardly from theside walls of cabinets lil andv and the projecting-ends of the bar element may be received by side walls ofthe crate in a manner andfor the purpose to be presently described. I'he bar element 31 and its associated studs 35 being so located thereby form a rigid connection between the cabinets I0 and I I and prevent relative Inovement therebetween (see Figs. 6 and 7). Cabinets II) and I I being rigidly interlocked in backto-bacli relationship, as described and as shown in Fig. 9 of the drawings, are now ready to be crated in a single crate.

Each side wall i5 and Il of the shipping crate I2 comprises spaced apart vertical slats nailed to upper and lower horizontal pieces i5 and respectively. These side walls also com-- prise angularly disposed strengthening wood pieces 48.to which the slats 5 are nailed. Wood strips 1MB-secured to the two middle vertical slats 45 arehorizontally disposed and vertically spaced apart to provide an opening which is adapted to receive the ends of bar 37 in a manner and for the purpose to be presently described. The bottom horizontal piece li-l of the crate side walls i6 and I7 has an inwardly directed shoulder 5I formed thereon which shoulder is adaptedto fit under the side rail piece 2| oi` the base members I8 andA IS. upon assembly ofthe crate. End wails I4. and I5 of the crate comprise several spaced apart vertical slats 52.nailed to upper and lower horizontal pieces 53y and,54 respectively and also comprise an angularly disposed strengthening wood piece 55. The lower end pieces Eliot the. crate end walls Naud |5.are so located and arranged as to rest upon the endportions of the side rail pieces2| of the base members Iand I9. The crate top wail. I3 includes a plurality ci abutted cross pieces 56 securedtoside rails .ral and theabutted wood pieces 56 forma substantially closed cover or lid for the crate to protect the tops of the cabinets. IG and II.

lIfhe eabinetsl and Ii uponleaving the productionline are moved or rolled upon the casters 26' into back-to-back relationship with one an other to prepare themnfor storage in afwarehouse or for'shipment. After locating4 the dowel pins 30 wi thin openingsl; the bar element Si, carrying the studs 36is loweredintonposition between the cabinets IQ and I I with the studs. 35 interlocking with the lboss members Zgon b,oth cabi nets, as shown in Ffigs. 5, 6 andlofrtlie drawings. The bar 3l and its associated studs 3 form a rigid connection between the cabinets Il and'I I and prevent lmovement thereof horizontally away from.one another end sidewise of one another. In this. locked together position of cabinets I@ and II, their supporting bases I3 and i9 abut against oneV anotherQas shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. The cabinets I and are now ready to be crated and the crate side walls I5 and are moved into a vertical position with the opening formedby the intermediate slats 45 and strips 49:0,f1 the side walls straddling or receiving the end positions of the cross bar 3'.' projecting outwardly of the sides of the cabinets. In this assembled position of the crate side walls I5 and i1; the shoulder 5I on the lower horizontal piece 41 of each side v'all I6 and l'lisnailed to the side rail pieces 2| of one base member I3.. and the other endportion offpiece 4:1 'is nailed to .the side rail piece 2| of the other base member IS: Thus, the base members vI8 and-I9, in addition to being held inabuttingrelationship by the bar 3'! and its asscciated'studs interlocked with the cabinets IB and |I, are alsonsecured to one another by virtue of nailing the one portion ofside wallsdand |'l to the onemember I8 and nailing -the other portion of the side walls to the other member I9.

Thus the base members I8 and I9 are rigidly secured to .one another against relative movement and for this reason it is obvious that the dowel pins 3i) may, if desired, be omitted. The crate end walls I4 and I5 are'hext moved into verticalpositions and into/association with the ends of the side walls I6 and II. Association of end walls Ill and I5 with thedevice is such that the lower end pieces 54 thereof rest upon the ends of the side rails 2| of the base members I8 and I9. The end slats 52 of each end wall I4 and I5 may be nailed to the ends of rails 2i of the base members I8 and I9 and may be nailed along a vertical line by passing nails through the end siats 65 of the crate side walls I6 and II into the end slats 52 of the end walls. Top I3 of the crate is then placed in position over the cabinets Iand II whereby it rests on the top edges of the crate end and side walls I4, I5, I6 and I'l. This top I3 is secured to the crate by nailing the top ends of slats 45 and 52 of the crate side and end walls thereto. A rectangular enclosure `is thereby formed by the crate walls in which the refrigerator cabinets ID and II are rigidly disposed.

The crate walls lock the base members I8 and i9 to one another and, by securing the end portions of bar 3l to the intermediate slats di! and/ or to the pieces 49 of the crate side walls by screws or the like, the upper portions of cabinets I!) and `I IY are likewise locked to one another and to an upper portion of theV crate device. Thus, a junitar/ structure is formed wherein a rigid connection or means between the cabinets is provided forpreventing relative movement therebetween within l the crate and wherein the connecting means includes means cooperating therewith and secured to the crate for preventing movement of the cabinets relative to the crate. If desired, a paper or the like protecting hood or cover may be placed over the cabinets II) and I l prior to crating same in the manner described. The casters 26 are preferably removed from the crate structure prior to shipment thereof or prior to moving the structure to a warehouse for storage.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided an improved method of and device for shipping two refrigerator cabinets in a single shipping crate. My improvement eliminates the number of side and end crate walls necessarily carried in stock when cabinets are shipped in sep-,

arate crates and thereby reduce the manufacturers inventory to a minimum. The present crate reduces the cost of shipping refrigerator cabinets and virtually compels the distributor or dealer to order such cabinets in multiples of two each, which is more desirable. My improved crate is particularly applicable to shipping small refrigerators, and by shipping two of them together in a single crate, a larger shipping package is provided which necessitates and insures more careful handling during transportation from the manufacturer to the dealer. The improved crate structure is readily assembled and disassembled, and when the walls thereof are secured together, a rigid unitary structure is provided which prevents walls thereof from moving relative to one another upon tilting and lifting the structure at one side and/ or at the corners thereof.

'While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming Within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. `In a deviceof the character described comprising in combination, a crate including -a top wall, end and side Walls and two base members forming the bottom wall thereof, a plurality of cabinets within said crate, one of said cabinets being detachably secured to one of said base members and the other cabinet being detachably secured to the other base member, a portion of each side wall and-an end wall of said crate being secured to one of said base members and another portion of each side wall and the other end wall thereof being secured to the other of said base members, means forming a rigid connection between said cabinets beyond said base members for preventing relative movement therebetween within said crate, and said means including means cooperating with said rigid connection and being secured to said crate side walls for preventing movement of said cabinets relative to the crate.

2. In a device of the character described comprising in combination, a crate including a top wall, end and side walls and two base members forming the bottom wall thereof, a plurality of cabinets within said crate, one of said cabinets being detachably secured to one of said base members and the other cabinet being detachably secured to the other base member, a portion of each side wall and an end wall of said crate being secured to one of said ba'se members and another portion of each side wall and the other end wall thereof being secured to the other of said base members, means forming a rigid connection between said cabinets beyond said base members for preventing relative movement therebetween within said crate, said means including means cooperating with said rigid connection and'having end portions extending beyond the side walls of said cabinets, and one of said end portions of said second named means being secured to one sidewall of said crate and the other end portion thereof being secured to the other side wall of said crate for preventing movement of said cabinets relative to the crate.

3. Ina device of the character described comprising in combination, a Ycrate including a top wall, end and side walls and two base members forming the bottom wall thereof, a cabinet detachably secured to each base member, said cabinets being disposed in back-to-backrelation within said crate, a portion of each side wall and an end wall of said crate being secured to one of said base members and another portion of each side wall and the other end wall thereof being secured to the other of said base members, means forming a rigid connection between the backs of said cabinets upwardly of said base members for'preventing relative movement of the cabinets within said (iii crate, and said means including means cooperating with said rigid connection and being secured to said crate side walls for preventing movement of said cabinets relative to the crate.

4. In a device of the character described comprising in combination, a crate including a top wall, end and side walls and two base members forming the bottom wall thereof, a cabinet detachably secured to each base member, said cabinets being disposed in back-to-back relation within said crate, a portion of each side wall and an end-wall of said crate being secured to one of said base members and another portion of each side wall and the other end wall thereof being secured to the other of said base members, means forming a rigid connection between the backs vof. said; cabinetsV upwardly of; saidt base members fonpreventing relative movement of the cabinets withiny saidv crate, said means` including means extending between the backs of said cabinets and cooperating with said rigid connection, said second named means having end portions projecting beyond the side walls of. said cabinets, and one end;portion.of1 said second named` means beingsecured-to` one side Wall of said crate and'the other end portion thereof; being secured tothev other side walli of` said crate for preventing movement of saidcabinets relative to the crate.

5. In a. device of the character described ccmprising in combination, a. crateincluding a top wall; endand side walls and two base members forming the bottom wall thereof; a cabinet detachably secured; to each: of. saidoase members and-disposed within said crate, aportion-of each side wall and an end wall of said crate being secured to oneof said-f base members and another poitionof each side wall and the other-end-wal1 thereof being secured` to theother of; said base members for preventing movement ofl said base members and the lower part of said cabinets relative to one another, means forming avrigid connection between the upper part of said cabinets for preventing relative movement between the upper portions of saidcabinets within-said crate, and said means including a bar-like member attached to. said rigid connection and extending outwardly romthesidesiof said cabinets, said bar member having its ends` secured to the side walls of said crateforpreventing movement of said cabinets relative thereto.

6. In a device of the character described cornprising in combination, a crate including atop wall, end and side walls. and twoY base members forming, the bottom'wall tliereof,.acabinet detachably secured to` each of said. base members.

and disposed in back-to-back, relation within said crate, a portion of each side wall. and an cnd wall of said crate being secured to-one of said base members and another, portion of each side wall and the other end wall thereof` being ecured tothe other of said base4 membersrfor.

preventing movement of said base members and the lov/er part of said cabinets relative to one another, spaced'apart studs detachablysecured to the back Wallof each cabinet atV the upper portions thereof for. preventing relative movement therebetween-within said crate, anda bar-like member tting over the spaced apart studs and extending outwardly from the sides of said cabinets, said bar member having oneof its ends secured to onefside wall' ofv said crate and'having-its other endV secured to the other side Wall of said crate for preventing movement of said cabinets relative tothe crate.

7. In a device of the character described comprising in combination,v a crate including a top wall, upright side/walls and two base members forming the bottom wall thereof, a` plurality of cabinets within said crate, one of said cabinets being supported on one ofY saidbase members and the other of said cabinets being supported on the other of said base members, atleast two opposed upright walls of said crate having a portion thereof secured to each of said base members, means engaging and forming a rigid connection between said cabinets for preventing relative-movementl therebetween within said crate, and said means including means cooperating with said rigid connection and secured to each of said two opposed upright crate walls beyond saidfbase members for preventing movement of the cabinets relative to the crate.

8. In a device of the character described comprising in combination, a crate including a top wall, narrow end walls, relatively wide'side walls and two base members forming the bottom wall thereof, a `plurality of cabinets within said crate, one of said cabinets being. supported on'one of said base members and the other of said cabinets being supported on the other ofV said base members, each side wallof said crate having a portion thereof secured to eachof saidibase members, means engaging and forming a'rigid connection between said cabinets for preventing relative movement therebetween within said crate, and said means including means cooperating with said rigid connection and securedto eachof said side walls of said crate beyond said base members for preventing movement of the cabinets relative to the crate,

EDMUND F. SCHWELLER. 

